As businesses angle for competitive advantage in the marketplace, they are apt to seek to develop and employ custom and proprietary tools to help them deliver their products and services efficiently and cost-effectively. Among the most valuable tools employed by modern businesses are software applications. The use of software applications in business has only increased with the rise of the internet and e-commerce. Businesses operate online storefronts offering and selling their products and services to clients of all types, from individual retail consumers to sophisticated corporate entities. Backend software services can be employed in conjunction with these and other online business applications to automate and deliver the objectives of the various business applications.
Some companies develop proprietary software systems to deploy the various applications and software-based services needed to automate and support their businesses. Developing a customized software system, while expensive, allows companies to have complete control over the design, maintenance, and compatibility of their software tools, allowing them to centralize design, integration, and maintenance of their business software. Other businesses elect to develop their software systems on a more piecemeal basis, adopting a patchwork of out-of-the box software applications, out-sourced third-party service providers, as well as some customized business applications for critical applications requiring a customized software application. Businesses electing a piecemeal approach may do so with a hope of realizing cost-savings over enterprise software suites, trading the ease and efficiency of centralized software suites for the affordability of more generic solutions.